Page 79 of Scarred (Russian Sinners 2)

“And that’s the reason you will have a fast death,” I told him and pulled the trigger. He slumped over, life leaving his eyes as he watched me. I felt no regret. We could not have loose ends. Olivia’s life was at stake here.

“Olivia, what are you doing here?” Andrey’s voice had me turning. “Where are your guards?”

She stood at the door, pale as a ghost, and I mentally cursed at the incompetence of the guards that were assigned to her. They would get fired immediately. If I didn’t kill them first.

Our differences struck me at that moment. I had seen a lot of dead bodies in my lifetime; she had probably seen none. She was as innocent as that crisp white shirt she wore while death followed me everywhere I went.

Her eyes were glued to the slumped body sitting in the chair, crimson blood dripping off of it. The room was so eerily quiet, I swore I heard his blood drip.

“I told the two guards Nikolai called me,” she whispered in a shaky voice, her eyes never wavering from the body.

I put the gun back into my holster and secured it before slowly walking over to her. I wondered how much she saw or heard.

“Look at me, Olivia,” I ordered. Her eyes didn’t move. “Olivia, look at me now.”

I gently took her chin between my fingers and turned her head to me. Her eyes darted left and right, full of fear. It was the worst punch in the gut, realizing she was scared of me.

“He was a threat and had to be eliminated,” I found myself explaining for the first time in my life. I never explained my actions to anyone. If there was a threat, I handled it. My reasoning never questioned. “Do you understand?”

Fuck, why was she watching me like a wounded animal?

“Olivia, we have to leave here,” I told her. “We need to start packing right away. There are more men hunting you out there.”

She swallowed hard, her eyes finally locking with mine. In a different life, she would have been spared all this. In a different life, she would have never crossed paths with me. But life was a bitch so here we were. I could keep her safe; I would keep her safe.

“I won’t let Malcome or anyone get to you,” I promised.

She might be scared of me now that she saw a glimpse of my true self but I meant every word. Nobody was allowed to hurt her. Even when she walked away from me; I’d make sure she was safe.

The thought of my future without her in it fucking sucked. It was as if someone reached inside my chest and ripped out my heart… or what was left of it.

Her eyes darted behind me again, to the man I just shot dead. Without another word, she nodded and turned around to leave. I watched her stiff back as she walked away from me without a backward glance, and for the first time in my life, I wished I was a different man. I wanted to be the man that Olivia needed and wanted.

“Get rid of those two guards that were supposed to watch her,” my voice was hard and cold. This was who I truly was. No second chances.

“Okay,” Andrey answered. He started issuing orders for men to clean up and dispose of the dead body.

Ilya would go with us north. Now that we knew a team of men was after Olivia, he was the strongest protection she would have if something happened to me. We needed multiple backups to our plan. I heard their movements around me, but none of it mattered to me. The only thing I cared about was the redheaded woman that watched me with fear.

Chapter Thirty

Olivia

As I walked away from Nikolai, the words played in my mind on repeat. Malcome was hunting me. He would never let me go. I was a fool to think that. I needed to think of a plan. We couldn’t run for the rest of our lives. And I couldn’t just act as a damsel in distress and count on Nikolai to keep me safe while at the same time endangering himself and Tasha.

Nikolai shot that man point blank. I tried to examine my feelings about what I just witnessed. I knew it was wrong; we as humans had no right to kill anyone. This wasn’t an eye for an eye world. But all I could feel was satisfaction. He was part of the scheme and men going after Anastasia. He would have taken me to Malcome if not for Nikolai. Just that thought alone was enough to cause panic inside me. The thought of being in Malcome’s presence had my stomach churning.

Oh God, I should run. If I was decent, I’d run so Nikolai and Tasha were safe.

Nikolai wanted to keep me safe at his own expense and that wasn’t okay. But I wasn’t a fool to think I’d be able to outrun those men or Malcome. Nikolai was the type of man that could keep me safe.

I needed a plan. A really good plan because I could never allow Malcome to get close to me again.

Now that I knew how Nikolai’s touch felt, I couldn’t stomach even thinking about Malcome’s touch. I couldn’t bear to go through another one of his sessions of torture. A cold shiver ran down my spine and bile rose in my throat.

“Our wedding night shall be something you’ll never forget, Olivia.” Malcome’s voice was venomous, holding promises of extreme pain.

I stood stiff in the hallway of my parent’s house, praying desperately someone would come looking for me.His sweaty palms squeezed around my neck as he pushed himself against my butt. He was behind me; my face pushed against the wall like I was an object and not a person. He was hard, and I worried he’d rape me right there in my parents’ house. I could barely breathe from his chokehold.

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